A Perfect Day
by IBelieveYouLiar
Summary: In which our favourite not-quite-but-almost-a-couple couple spend some time together away from the 12th Precinct, one day at a time. Complete.
1. Impromptu Day

**AN: Apparently, I don't have the willpower for a long hiatus.**

**So, I'm back. Only a brief interlude between stories, as it turned out, but since I had a holiday, and got through Christmas without any major family bust ups (if you knew my family, you'd know that peace is a rare occurrence), and now it's been 2012 for 21 hours. So I figure, it's time for me to get over my weird and oddly dramatic melancholy, and post a new story.**

**This is a ridiculously cute one-shot, like everything I write, but I hope you enjoy it none-the-less.**

**I'm SimoneLouise_XX on Twitter, you should follow me! ;)**

**IBYL  
><strong>**xo**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them. That's ABC Studios and AWM's privilege, not mine.**

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><p>It was a quiet Tuesday morning, and Detective Kate Beckett was revelling in a rare day off. They had no major open cases at work at the moment, and she'd worked late the day before to complete all of her paperwork early. When she announced this to Captain Permafrost, the vile woman begrudgingly allowed her the day off, causing Beckett to bask a little in her own personal triumph. Beckett didn't have any specific plans, so she slept in late (it was only until 9am but still, that was a sleep-in by her usual standards), did the grocery shopping that she'd neglected for over a week, and now she was deciding how to indulge herself for the day.<p>

A knock on the door interrupted her pondering, and she frowned before realising she'd missed one crucial step in her decision to take a day off – Castle hadn't been in yesterday. He'd had back to back publishers meeting's, and she'd forgotten to let him know she wasn't heading to the precinct. She carefully looked through the peephole and sure enough, Castle was standing outside her door, looking mildly concerned, and holding two coffee cups. Beckett bit her lip to hold back a smile before carefully opening her door.

"Hey, Castle." She said. "Sorry for the impromptu day off." She said genuinely, and he smiled, clearly relieved that she didn't seem remotely ill.

"That's alright. How'd you manage it?" He asked, surprised she'd been able to get away at all.

"Well, my partner wasn't around to bug me yesterday so I got a tonne of paperwork done." She teased, and he smirked.

"Bet Gates didn't like that." He said, grinning as he pictured her face, the grin widening when Kate joined in with a cheeky smile of her own.

"She wasn't what you'd call pleased." She said with a smile, before taking her coffee from Castle and gesturing toward the couch in invitation. He took a seat, and Kate followed.

"So any plans for your day off?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"Nope. I was just deciding what to do when you knocked." She said.

"Does that mean I can offer my company?" He asked with a nervous smile, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Don't you have more Black Pawn stuff to do today?" She asked. Usually after he had a day full of publishers meeting's, he wasn't available for a couple of days while he panicked about deadlines and word counts. He shook his head, a proud grin gracing his face.

"No, I'm actually ahead of schedule this time around. I've already completed my outline for the next book. Yesterday's meetings were actually about an extension to the Nikki Heat series."

"Really? They want more?"

"The books are a huge success, Kate. They're bigger than Derrick Storm. Heat Rises alone has made more than the last three Storm novels. Black Pawn are greedy, after all. And if people still want to read about Nikki, I'm more than happy to keep writing. They're just figuring out the details for me." He said, and she smiled.

"Well, we should celebrate or something. Probably a bit early for a drink, though." She teased, and he grinned.

"You make a good point. I, however, am craving a hot dog. A big one. From Central Park." He said with a childish grin, and she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled from her throat.

"Central Park it is." She said, picking up her coffee and purse before heading for the door.

XXX

Castle took his first bite of his hot dog and moaned a little as he chewed.

"That's the stuff." He said with a contented sigh, and Kate shook her head a little before taking a bite of her own hot dog.

"So melodramatic, Castle." She murmured, and he looked affronted, before laughing.

"Hey, I can't help it. You've met my mother." He said, and she nodded, acquiescing.

"Fair point. God, it's nice to be outside and not chasing criminals." She said, and he laughed.

"That it is. You should do it more often." He said, and she raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"Take more days off? And risk the wrath of Gates? I don't think so." She scoffed, and he smiled widely. Kate raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You just have the best vocabulary. Who uses words like wrath anymore?" He said excitedly, and she laughed.

"Apparently it's just you and me, Castle."

"Rick." He said quickly.

"What?" She asked, clearly losing his train of thought.

"My name's Rick." He said with a shrug. "Try it every once in a while."

"Okay… Rick." She said, the name rolling off her tongue awkwardly as they descended into silence. They finished eating and Castle stood up abruptly, holding out his hand. Kate looked at him carefully before offering him her own hand, as he pulled her up from the bench they'd been sitting on. He dropped her hand and took her rubbish, dumping it into a nearby bin before walking back to where she was standing, simply taking in her surroundings. She looked so innocent, he thought, and he decided that today he would make something change. That wall might not come down entirely until her mother's murder was solved, but what did it matter if a brick or two went missing? He walked over to her and took her hand once again, intertwining their fingers and catching her by surprise. Her jaw dropped a little but she said nothing, deciding instead to 'roll with it', and she anchored her hand to his as they strolled through the park. When she next looked up, she couldn't help but giggle at the look of pure joy on Rick's face. When she laughed, he looked down.

"What's funny?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Just you, Rick." She replied, squeezing his hand gently but dropping it. He pouted. "Don't pout. We're getting ice-cream." She said, nodding to an ice-cream parlour just across the road from the entrance to Central Park. He grinned.

"Mmm, Chocolate." He said excitedly as he wandered towards the road. She smiled and followed.

XXX

They sat in the ice-cream parlour, Kate holding a modest cone with two scoops of Choc Mint ice-cream. Rick, however, childish as he was, was now juggling 4 scoops of various chocolate-based and vanilla-based flavours, all of which were currently balancing precariously on a waffle cone. He took a careful lick and grinned when nothing collapsed.

"Success!" He said excitedly, and Kate laughed.

"Not yet. It won't be deemed successful until the entire sculpture is gone, without making a mess."

"I'll show you!" He said, his ever-present competitive streak flaring.

"Sure thing, writer boy." She murmured with a smirk, as she paused to enjoy her ice-cream. "But don't whinge to me when you're in pain later from the sugar overload."

Twenty minutes later, they were back strolling through Central Park, and Rick was busting out his patented happy dance, which had Kate doubled over in laughter. When he stopped dancing and she recovered, she wiped a rogue tear from her eyes.

"You're just something, aren't you?" She said, giggling again. He beamed at the almost-compliment as they continued walking through the park.

"That I am. Plus, it was a victory dance. I told you I could eat that ice-cream!" He said excitedly, making her laugh more.

"God, you really are nine years old, aren't you? Yes, you finished the ice-cream." She teased gently, before looping her arm through his crooked elbow. "Come on, I think you should walk me home."

"Probably a good idea since that's where my car is." He said blandly, and she grinned.

XXX

"Thank you for my little interlude today, Rick." She said, as they walked towards her apartment.

"You're welcome. I'm nothing if not a distraction." He said, mocking himself a little, and Kate frowned.

"You're the best kind of distraction." She said softly, leaning up to kiss his cheek quickly. "Bye." She said as she opened her door and slipped inside. She peeked back out through the peephole and smiled when she saw a still-beaming Rick frozen outside her door with a giant grin on his face. She chuckled a little.

Kate had only been home about half an hour when her phone chimed with an incoming text. It was from Rick.

_Hey, sneaky. Any chance you'd like to come over for dinner tonight?_

She laughed a little at that, before pondering the offer. She had only just said she would 'roll with it', after all. And dinner at the Castle loft was always good fun. She smiled and tapped out a reply.

_Sneaky, me? Never! But thanks for the offer, I'd love to come to dinner. What time and what can I bring?_

She put her phone down and picked up her book again, only to be interrupted seconds later. He had lightning fingers, after all.

_Just after 6? And I would say you can't bring anything but I'm guessing you won't listen, so you're in charge of dessert. No ice-cream though? Not sure I can handle it._

She grinned.

_Hate to say I told you so, but… I told you so. See you at 6, Rick._

XXX

The time before Kate would have to leave for dinner passed extremely quickly. She read for a while, did a few more chores, and then organised herself to go over to Castle's place. _Rick's place_, she corrected in her mind, before sighing. In the space of one day, he'd gone from Castle to Rick. It was a seamless transition. She pulled herself into her car and headed for the loft, desperately trying to stop thinking about how easy everything had been today.

Not long after, she was at the loft, pressing the doorbell and trying not to be nervous. It was just dinner, for goodness sake! She did this all the time! Kate didn't have long to ponder the predicament she found herself in, as the door flung open to reveal Rick himself.

"Hey, you made it! Come in, come in." He said, gesturing toward the kitchen. He closed the door and scarpered off towards the stove, stirring something quickly. As Kate was pretty familiar with the loft, she dropped her bag by the door and wandered towards the kitchen, taking a seat at the island and stealing a tomato from the waiting salad.

"So what are we eating?" She asked, and Rick smiled to her.

"I went easy – pasta and salad. Looks like it's just you and me tonight." He said, and Kate raised an eyebrow.

"Where are the ladies of the manor?" She asked easily.

"Alexis is, surprise surprise, over at Paige's house again, discussing yet another boy conundrum. And Mother has hit it off with my banker, and has finally accepted his invitation to dinner." He said, and Kate laughed.

"Your mother is amazing, Rick. Who walks out of a hostage situation with a date?" She asked rhetorically, and he nodded in acknowledgement as he served up dinner. He took both plates and nodded towards the already set table. Kate smiled and followed him to the table.

Over an hour later, Kate and Rick had slouched to the lounge room. Kate sat heavily on the couch and sighed.

"I feel like I'm about to explode." Kate moaned, and Rick laughed.

"Me too. I always make too much pasta, it's a curse."

"I love the indulgence, I just hate the feeling afterwards. I will be hitting the gym tomorrow, I think." She said with a self-deprecating laugh, and Rick frowned.

"You know you don't need it, right?" He asked and she smiled.

"Thanks for that compliment, Rick. But I don't use the gym because I'm vain – I kind of need to be fit, since… you know… homicide detective." She said, and he blushed a little.

"Yeah, I knew that." He said bashfully, and she giggled. "But, you know… you're beautiful. You always will be. You don't need the gym for that." He said matter-of-factly, and Kate blushed a bright shade of red.

"You're sweet." She murmured in response, unconsciously shifting a little closer to him on the couch. He hesitated, but threw his arm around her shoulder, bumping her head in the process and making her move. She turned to look at him and it was his turn to blush.

"Apparently I'm 14 again." He said sadly, shaking his head at his not-so-suave move. She laughed, before guiding his arm around her shoulders safely and without further injury.

"It's all good, Rick." She said, leaning into his embrace before nabbing the remote and turning the TV on, turning quickly to once again indulge in the giant smile gracing his face. She found a brainless documentary and settled into Rick's embrace, enjoying the peace of the moment.

XXX

A few hours later, the TV was off and Rick and Kate were hovering by the door of the loft, both knowing that they needed to part ways for the evening, but neither really having the willpower to do so. After a few minutes of silence, it was Kate who addressed it.

"I wish I could stay, Rick, but I have to be at the precinct early tomorrow." She said, and he could hear the honesty in her voice.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked hopefully. Usually she wouldn't ask him to come in if there wasn't a case but… something had shifted today.

"Sure, if you want to come in." She said, covering her bases but smiling when he nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll be there." He said, as she turned the doorknob and took a step. "Well… uh… until tomorrow." He murmured, and she smiled, turning back to face him.

"Hey, Rick?" She said, and his eyes locked with hers. "Thank you for a perfect day." She whispered, leaning in and softly pressing her lips to his, before pulling away with a blush and an awkward wave. She was already at the elevator when Rick had recovered, so he simply closed the door after her and smiled to himself.

One perfect day.

He hoped it would be one of many.

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><p><strong>THE END.<br>**(For Now)

**Review? x**


	2. Sick Day

**AN: Chapter 2 of the new series of 'Day'-related one shots is here. I literally started this just a few hours ago, so if it's a bit shabby, please forgive me.**

**IBYL  
><strong>**xo**

**Disclaimer: Don't own them. Though the Castle calendar I bought does look tremendous on my wall.**

* * *

><p>Beckett's phone rang at 7am, startling her. When she saw Rick's goofy face light up her phone, she bit her lip to resist the urge to grin.<p>

"Morning, Rick. To what do I owe the pleasure?" She said.

"Hi Detective Beckett, it's Alexis." A small voice said, and Kate stopped what she was doing.

"Alexis, hi! What's up?" Kate said, resisting the urge to panic.

"I just wanted to let you know that Dad isn't coming to the precinct today. Doctor's orders." She said, and Kate sighed a little in relief.

"What's he done now?" Kate asked, and Alexis giggled a little.

"Actually, this wasn't his fault. He's got some bronchial infection or something."

"Is he contagious?" Beckett asked, plan forming in her head.

"The doctor said he was past the contagion stage." Alexis replied, slightly confused.

"And you have a full day of school today?" She prompted, and Alexis responded.

"Well, yeah. You want to come over, don't you?" Alexis asked, amused.

"Your dad takes care of me all the time, and I never really get to return the favour. So I thought maybe today I could." Kate said sheepishly, and Alexis laughed.

"Come over, then. I won't tell him, you can surprise him. But don't you have work?" Alexis asked, and Kate laughed.

"No, actually. I was on-call all last night, and officially started my day off at 6am. So Gates isn't expecting me in."

"Aren't you tired?" Alexis asked, sounding concerned.

"Not really. I might need a nap later but I'm sure your Dad will too if he's sick. So I'll see you in half an hour, Lex?" Kate said, smiling.

"See you when you get here, Detective." Alexis replied, before hanging up the phone with a bemused grin. They really had it bad.

XXX

Kate knocked on the door softly to alert Alexis that she was here. The door was flung open and Alexis was carrying her bag, about to leave the loft.

"Morning, Kate." She whispered. "He's in his bedroom. I've got to get to school for first period, but you know where everything is. His meds instructions are on the bottle, which is in the kitchen." She said, sounding more like a worried parent than a teenage girl.

"Okay, I've got it. Have a good day, Lex." She said, and Alexis smiled.

"You too." She murmured as she ran out the door. Kate smiled and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, before heading through the study to Rick's room. He had a luxurious armchair in the corner of the room, so she curled herself into that and waited for the patient to wake up.

It only took about 15 minutes before Rick started shifting in his sleep, a sign that he was coming around. Kate smiled as his eyes blinked open and whizzed around the room before landing on her.

"Kate?" He asked with a scratchy voice, clearly surprised.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" She asked, standing up from the chair and perching on the side of his bed. He took her hand and squeezed it lightly, smiling.

"Better now that I'm sure I'm not dreaming." He murmured, before a violent cough wracked his body. Kate winced for him, stroking his fingers with her thumb soothingly before handing over the bottle of water she'd grabbed. He took a sip and smiled gratefully.

"Thanks." He murmured, and she smiled slyly.

"Always." She whispered, watching as his face lit up brightly. "But really, how are you feeling?" She asked, concerned.

"Better than yesterday. The doc gave me good meds." He whispered, his voice strained. "What are you doing here, though. Don't you have work?" He asked, sitting up a little.

"I did a switch with Karpowski a couple of days ago, she had something on last night and couldn't do the on-call shift. I took that for her, and she's on call today for me." She said, and he smiled.

"So you're spending the first day off you've had in three weeks with the invalid. Thanks." He said, grinning, before he paused. "Wait. How did you know I was sick?" He asked, and she laughed.

"Alexis rang me to let me know you wouldn't be at the precinct today. I offered to come over and keep you company." She said with a shrug.

"Thanks, Kate." He said gently. The silence was comfortable for a while, but Kate decided to break it.

"Well, Alexis says you're not contagious, but you'll still need your rest. So I was thinking we could have a movie marathon here in your room. That way you don't need to move anywhere." She turned to face the sick man next to her, who was smiling. "So, what's your movie poison, Rick?" She asked, and his grin turned sheepish as he mumbled something. "Didn't catch that." Kate said, and he sighed.

"I usually watch kids movies when I'm sick." He said softly, and Kate smiled.

"Me too. I'll be right back." She said, leaving for the lounge room to pick some movies. She came back holding the _Toy Story_ trilogy, _The Incredibles_ and _Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs_. Rick grinned.

"Ah, the girl has taste." He said, patting the bed next to him as she put the DVD in the player and grabbed the remote. She slipped off her shoes and crossed her legs on the bed next to him, settling in for the first movie.

By halfway through the first _Toy Story_, Kate had uncrossed her legs and somehow shifted into Rick's gentle embrace. She was struck by how intimate this was, given that she wasn't with him romantically, but she couldn't bring herself to move.

When the first movie finished, she reluctantly shifted out of his embrace to grab his medicine and some water for herself. She also grabbed a punnet of ice-cream and two spoons, before heading back to start the second _Toy Story_ movie. When she handed Rick his meds and the ice-cream, he gave her a heart-warming smile that made her a tiny bit weak at the knees, but she smiled in response anyway, before digging her spoon into the ice-cream punnet as Woody and Buzz appeared on screen.

XXX

They fell asleep in the middle of _Toy Story 2_, cuddled up together. Rick's arms were planted firmly around her waist and her head was resting on his shoulder comfortably. She felt Rick stir and murmur gently in his sleep, something about Superman which made her giggle ridiculously. She tried to bite her knuckle so that he could continue to nap but her gentle shaking roused him from sleep.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked, clearly disoriented.

"You talk in your sleep." She said with a smile, looking up at him but not actually moving from his arms.

"Uhoh." He murmured, before turning his head to cough a little. "What did I agree to this time?" He said, and Kate laughed.

"I sense a story here." She prompted, and he smiled.

"Alexis has gotten many unfortunate agreements out of me while I've been half asleep. The worst was probably her 11th birthday party, when I agreed to have 15 girls over for a sleepover." He said with a mock shudder, and Kate winced.

"Ouch."

"Ouch doesn't begin to cover it. But Alexis had a fantastic time, so it was worth it. What did I say this time, though."

"You just said 'Superman' reverently. Like you'd just met him or something." She said, and he smiled.

"Oh good, that's not nearly as bad as it could have been." He said, relieved, and she laughed.

"You hungry? I could order some food if you want to take a shower, maybe move around a little. Only if you're feeling better though." She hurriedly added, not wanting to push him.

"Sounds good. Maybe we can watch the next movie in the lounge?" He suggested, and she smiled.

"Sure. Chinese okay?"

"Chinese is perfect." She smiled and wandered toward the kitchen, oblivious to the loving stare Rick was sending her way.

XXX

The Chinese food arrived just as Rick finished his shower, so Kate set the food on the coffee table and waited for him to come into the lounge. When she heard the noises stop in his bedroom, she padded over to the door and knocked quietly.

"Rick? You okay?" She asked, and she heard a small whimper. She opened the door slightly and found him sitting on his bed, exhausted. He'd managed to get some sweatpants on, but hadn't had the strength to pull the t-shirt over his head. Kate sat down softly next to him and rubbed his back gently, trying her best to ignore the feeling of his soft skin. It wasn't working, but she compartmentalised because he was in pain, and she needed him to be better.

"Just wasn't as strong as I thought." He whispered, and she stood, picking up his shirt and pushing it gently over his head before helping him get his arms in. She held out her hands and he took them, standing up as she pulled his shirt down. She led him to the lounge room gently, before settling him on the couch with a blanket and a carton of food. She settled next to him and turned on the movie, settling in to finish the _Toy Story _series.

He lasted almost 20 minutes past his last bite of lunch before he passed out again, a feat that Kate considered admirable. Despite being sick he was smiling in his dreams, and Kate chuckled softly – he was the biggest man-child she'd ever met … not wanting to sleep even though it would make him better, smiling through his dreams – she'd probably never tell him, but she adored his childishness. It lit up her life. The man sitting next to her, he pulled her out of black holes at every turn, and she was sure she could never thank him enough. She shifted from the couch quietly, so as not to wake the sleeping giant, and cleared up the lunch mess before tidying up his room a little. When she heard him shift on the couch, she headed back to wake him up.

"Hey, sleeping beauty." She whispered, and his eyes flickered open before he smiled widely.

"You're still here?"

"Of course. Couldn't leave you here to fend for yourself." She whispered, handing him yet another bottle of water. "Drink up. The fluids will do you good."  
>"You're the best nurse ever." He said, before his eyes widened comically and she cracked up laughing.<p>

"Mind out of the gutter, Ricky." She murmured, and he gulped before coughing a little. When he'd recovered, he blushed sheepishly at the detective next to him.

"Sorry." He murmured.

"For what?" She replied distractedly, staring at the TV.

"My mind going to the gutter." He said with a shrug, and she turned to him.

"Why are you apologising for that? I'm more than used to it. And it happens to everyone, Rick." She said, and he smiled.

"Ah yes, I do recall an incident on the set of Temptation Lane…" he said with a grin, and she rolled her eyes but smiled all the same.

"Exactly. Happens to everyone. Now stop tainting the pure goodness of a Disney movie with that brain of yours. Deal?" She asked. He just nodded, before smiling and wrapping an arm around her. She settled into his grasp comfortably, making a mental note to remind herself that they should really talk about this. She mentally shrugged: they'd talk eventually. In the meantime, there was no harm in enjoying Rick's company.

XXX

Another movie and another round of meds later, Rick declared that he was feeling much better as the credits of _The Incredibles_ rolled across the TV screen.

"You said that earlier, Rick. Don't count your chickens." She said, and he laughed, pressing a soft kiss to her temple.

"You're just the cutest, you know that?" He said softly, stunning her as he extracted himself from the couch. "Bathroom, be right back." He murmured, leaving Kate stunned on the living room couch. She didn't shake herself out of it until she heard the lock on the front door tumble and Alexis stumbled inside, just as her father returned from the bathroom.

"Hey, pumpkin, how was your day?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Same old, same old. How are you feeling?" She asked, and Kate resisted the urge to smile at the girl's genuine concern for her father.

"Much better, Lex. I had a good nurse." He said, flicking a glance toward Beckett.

"Thanks for looking after him Detective Beckett." She said politely, and Kate laughed.

"It's Kate, Lex. And I had a great time. He's a surprisingly easy patient." She said, rolling her eyes when Rick poked out his tongue in response.

"You staying for dinner, Kate?" Alexis asked innocently, and though she hated doing so, she shook her head.

"Sorry, kiddo. I need to get some solid sleep because I'm back on shift at 6am tomorrow. I'll eat at home and have an early night tonight." She said, and Alexis frowned in sympathy.

"Well it's an open invitation. Next time, maybe?" She asked, and Kate nodded.

"Next time sounds great." She said, and the girl bounded upstairs to her room muttering something about starting her homework. Rick walked her to the door and helped her into her coat.

"Thank you." He whispered, and she smiled.

"For what?" She responded easily, and he smirked.

"You know what. Giving up your day off to come over and watch Disney and Pixar movies with me." He said, and she smiled.

"I had fun, Rick. And in all honesty?" She started, looking up at him shyly through her eyelashes. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be." She whispered, and his beam could've lit up the darkest night.

"Thank you for today, Kate." He said, and she smiled.

"Aside from you being sick, I'd say it was almost perfect." She grinned, before placing a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Rick." She murmured, before heading for the elevator.

"Goodnight, Kate." He responded, dazed and happy.

XXX

When Kate tucked herself into bed that evening, she checked her phone one last time, and had a text waiting. It was from Rick.

_We didn't get to CWACOM today :(_

She laughed.

_CWACOM, really? Too lazy to type out Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs?_

His response was swift.

_As a matter of fact, yes. But still, we didn't get to watch it :(_

She just smiled.

_Next time, Rick._

Straight-away, she had another response. He must have been sitting on his phone.

_Is that a promise?_

She sighed, before tapping out her response.

_Yeah, it's a promise. Goodnight, Rick._

The next message chimed just as she'd flicked off her lamp.

_Sweet dreams, Kate._

She did indeed have sweet dreams – of more perfect days with Rick.

* * *

><p><strong>So, this will now be a series of loosely-connected one-shots about some of our favourite couple's perfect days. I hope you enjoyed this one. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	3. Different Day

**AN: Hey people! Sorry it took me a while, I lost my mojo (again! Cheeky thing keeps running away from me!)**

**I said I wouldn't rush this. But not going to lie, I kind of have. "Til Death Do Us Part" made me all fluffy.**

**I should point out, this story could continue in Season 4, but pretend that Castle didn't say those three little words because I find it really hard to deal with in my stories.**

**This could be the last chapter of this story, but I haven't yet decided...**

**IBYL**  
><strong>xo<strong>

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. I'm just a rabid fan, waiting not so patiently for The Blue Butterfly.**

Kate Beckett had woken with a smile, remembering that it was once again her day off work. It had been almost a month between breaks – they'd be swamped with cases, each more time-consuming than the next. She was glad that she was out of the precinct for today, but expected to stay home and relax, since Rick had been accosted by Gina for not writing enough. He'd stayed home yesterday to write a few chapters and 'keep the leeches happy', but even so, Kate didn't expect to hear from him today - which is probably why she nearly spat out her coffee when she heard an enthusiastic knock on the door. She looked through the peephole and her face broke into a grin.

"Morning, Rick." She said as she opened the door, and he smiled.

"Good, you're up. Get ready, we're going out." He said, sidestepping her and making his way into her apartment.

"Don't you have writing to do?" She asked.

"The leeches have been fed. I sent Black Pawn the next four chapters last night."

"You wrote four chapters in a day?" She was stunned. "Who can even write that much?"

"I had motivation. If I finished the chapters yesterday, I'd get to spend today with you. So I finished the chapters, and now we're going out." He said, and she laughed.

"Where are we going, Rick?" She prompted, deciding to just let him have this one. It was such a sweet notion that she really couldn't deny him a day out.

"It's a surprise. Wear something comfortable though, we'll be walking a bit." He suggested.

"Don't snoop too much while I'm getting dressed." She directed, before heading to her room. She chose a pair of skinny jeans, a tight band t-shirt, a black leather jacket and a pair of super comfy low-heeled, knee-hi boots. When she walked back out into the living room she found Rick reading her old copy of _Treasure Island._ He looked up when she arrived next to him and she was pleased to see his eyes widen comically as he took in her outfit.

"Uh… um…" He stumbled. "You look great. Ready?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah, I'm ready." She said, picking up her bag and gesturing to the door with a wide smile.

XXX

They began their walk through the city at a leisurely pace, and Kate and Rick shared stories of their favourite New York moments, many of which had happened at the landmarks they were walking past. Rick talked about book parties, Kate talked about memorable cases – it was a testament to how two people from completely opposite lifestyles can come together perfectly.

Before long, they'd arrived at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, which Rick stopped in front of with a wide smile. Kate looked at his face and laughed.

"We're going in here?" She asked incredulously, and his face fell.

"We don't have to if you don't want to." He said, and she took his hand, squeezing it gently.

"Rick, I love Madame Tussaud's. I haven't been here in ages. I was just surprised because of the way your mind works. Beckett has a day off, let's take her to Tussaud's." She teased, and his smile resumed.

"Alexis won't go with me anymore. I needed a friend." He said with a shrug, and Kate laughed.

"I hope you brought a camera." She said, knowing this trip would be worth documenting.

"Always." He said with a smile, not dropping her hand as they flashed their passes and wandered into the museum.

XXX

Two hours later, the twosome left Madame Tussaud's, armed with thousands of pictures of themselves with wax figurines. They'd had plenty of fun but Castle had started getting recognised, which he found uncomfortable – much to Kate's surprise. When they got outside, Kate linked her fingers through his again, squeezing his hand.

"You okay?" She asked, and he sighed.

"Yeah, I am." He said softly.

"Not playing happy famous man today?" She pushed, and he cracked a small smile.

"You're not going to like my response."

"Tell me anyway." She said, unafraid.

"I don't like sharing this time with you, your days off. You get so little time away from the precinct, Kate, and by some miracle you want to spend that time with me. I don't want to waste it." He said, and she bit her lip shyly.

"That might be the sweetest thing you've ever said to me, Rick." She said softly, and he beamed widely. "Why don't we go grab some burgers and head back to mine for the afternoon? No more sharing required." She smiled, and he nodded.

"That sounds great."

She'd had enough of society, anyway. Today was time with her best friend.

XXX

When they arrived back at Kate's apartment, Rick dished up the food while Kate picked a movie. She settled on _The Blind Side_, a new favourite of hers. When the menu came up, Rick smiled.

"Wouldn't have picked you for a fan of this movie." He said sweetly.

"I watched it with my dad, and I fell in love with it."

"It's a great story." He said in agreement, and she smiled.

"You'd know all about those, wouldn't you Rick?" She teased a little, before picking up the remote and hitting play. They ate as they watched the movie, content.

When the movie was nearing its end, the mess from lunch was still on the coffee table and Kate had tucked her head into Rick's shoulder. He'd wrapped his arm around her instinctively, but got worried when he heard a small sob.

"Kate?" He questioned, and she looked up teary-eyed.

"Sorry, Rick. This movie always gets me."

"I think it's cute." He said. "That even though you've clearly seen this movie a fair few times, it still makes you cry."

"How do you know I've seen it a lot?" She asked in response, and he smiled – he knew that was coming.

"You've perfected the accent. Either you've got some southern belle in you or you've been practicing with this movie." He said, and she grinned sheepishly.

"But it's just so cute." She murmured, and he laughed.

"Just like someone else I know." He whispered carefully, and Kate's eyes shot up to meet his.

"Really." She said sarcastically.

"Yep, really." He said innocently, and she bit back a harsh laugh.

"Many words have been used to describe me, Rick, and cute isn't one of them." She said.

"What's been your favourite?" He asked, clearly fishing. Kate decided to tell the truth.

"I think my favourite word… is extraordinary. I quite like being extraordinary." She smiled, and gasped when his soft lips collided with hers without warning.

It was perfect. And, a little part of her brain was screaming _'It's about time!' _which she knew was also true. As his lips moved gently with hers, she found herself wondering whether it was wrong to count their third kiss as their first 'real' kiss. Because this, above everything else, felt _real. _She wanted real.

When they pulled away, Rick almost looked fearful. She felt so bad that she'd caused this panic, this lack of confidence in her emotions. He honestly had no idea how badly she'd fallen for him, and she hated that he was in the dark… but he couldn't find out just yet. She was still broken.

But maybe it was time to live again. The rest could come later.

As she pondered all this, she failed to notice Rick's face fall further. She was pulled out of her thoughts by Rick's quiet voice.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I'm just going to…" he gestured to the door sadly and shifted as if to move. Kate, horrified, did the first thing that came to mind to keep him with her – so she sat on his lap, blocking his exit. He looked stunned.

"Don't apologise." She whispered when he caught her eye.

"I overstepped." He said, and she shook her head.

"You pushed me, exactly how far I needed." She said, and he looked confused.

"You said you can't have a relationship, the relationship you want until your mother's murder is solved." He said sadly. "I told you I'd wait, and I will. And from now on, I'll wait patiently." She saw the sadness in his eyes, and her heart broke a little.

"I've been working on it. I've been seeing a therapist, Rick. And I'm still… broken. But he's shown me that I need to live my life." She said, before whispering quietly "and I want my life to be with you."

His arms tightened around her waist a little, as a small smile graced his face.

"So how shall we do this, Kate?" He asked, and she smiled at his willingness to let her choose their path.

"Maybe… maybe for now, we can keep spending my days off together. We'll go out, see parts of New York that I take for granted. Or we can stay in and watch movies that make me cry. And then maybe, after a while… you can take me out to dinner." She said, and he smiled.

"Can I hold your hand, on these secret little days off?" He asked sweetly, and she nodded.

"I think I can allow that." She said with a wry smile. "Thank you, Rick."

"For what?"

"Agreeing to do things slowly."

"Kate, look at this from my perspective, okay? The woman of my dreams has just basically agreed, for all intents and purposes, to date me. I'm thrilled. If it's slow, so what? I get to spend time with you, and maybe, just maybe… I can do this more often." He said softly, pressing his lips to hers quickly, making her smile.

"Yeah, you can do that more often." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Kate couldn't help but think that Dr. Burke would be proud.

* * *

><p><strong>So it's probably not my BEST work, but I didn't want to leave you hanging.<strong>


	4. Sharing Day

**AN: Hey, I have another update for you! So this one is more emotional than the others, I'm quite happy with it though. In the last chapter, Rick and Kate began their tiny baby steps forward, and this continues in this chapter, with a mildly larger step. I've had a really good response to this story so far, so thank you very much for all the love :)**

**I hope you enjoy this one!**

**IBYL**  
><strong>xo<strong>

**Disclaimer: Don't own it. Just another fan waiting impatiently for The Blue Butterfly!**

Kate woke up with a wide smile on her face. It was her day off once again, and once again she would be spending the day with Rick… he just didn't exactly know it yet. She hadn't told him she had the day off, but had checked whether or not he was busy today so that her plans weren't ruined. She tumbled out of her bed and into the bathroom, smile still present as she began getting ready for the day.

Today, she'd decided, was going to be a day for sharing. Her and Rick had been dating, for lack of a better word, for two months now. Her mother's case was still unsolved, but with every passing day Kate was coming to grips with the idea that her life shouldn't revolve around her mother's death anymore. When the time was right, she was sure the evidence would appear. In the meantime, she was going to enjoy her life now, the one she was slowly but steadily building with Rick.

She dressed quickly and prettied herself up a little before jumping in her car and heading for the Castle loft. She pulled up out front and took a deep breath as she wandered into the building. Today was going to be tough – but if anyone was worth the trouble, it was Rick Castle.

XXX

She knocked on the door softly, smiling when a bedraggled Rick opened the door.

"Kate? Hi… do we have a body?" He asked, disoriented.

"No. But I have the day off and I wanted to surprise you." She replied, and he smiled.

"Really? What are we doing?"

"Did I not just say I wanted to surprise you, Rick? Go get yourself ready, I'll watch TV or something until you're done." She said, gesturing towards the couch.

"Do I need to dress up?" He asked, and she gestured to her own simple outfit of a pair of jeans and a sweater before answering.

"If my outfit wasn't a giveaway, no. In fact, the more casual, the better. Make sure you're comfortable." She said, taking a seat on the couch and shooing him away to get ready.

When Rick returned, Kate had made two coffees to go, which made Rick grin.

"Thanks, gorgeous." He said, taking a sip and smiling as she blushed at the compliment. "We heading out?"

"Yep. I just forgot one thing." She said, and he looked up.

"What?"

"This." She said softly, pressing her lips to his in greeting. "Hi, Rick."

"Hi, Kate." He whispered back, smiling. "Shall we?" He asked, holding out his hand. She slipped her fingers through his with a smile.

"Let's go." She said with a smile, leading her man out of the loft.

Rick stopped at the passenger door to Kate's car.

"We're driving somewhere." He deduced, and she laughed.

"That we are, Sherlock. We'll be in the car for a while, is that okay?" She asked, and he smiled.

"Sure. You know me, I love an adventure."

"Well, I hope you like this one." She said with a smile, sliding into the car to begin their trip.

XXX

"I don't think I've ever been anywhere even remotely close to here before." Rick said, as they drove further and further away from Manhattan itself.

"Wouldn't surprise me." She said simply, and Rick pondered for a moment.

"Are you taking me up to your dad's?" He asked softly, and her jaw dropped.

"How could you possibly have figured that out?" She asked in return, stunned.

"Lucky guess. So really, you're taking me to meet Papa Beckett? For real?" He asked excitedly, and Kate shook her head.

"He won't be there today. He's visiting his brother in DC, he'll be gone a couple of days. And from what I've heard, Rick… you've met my father a few times." She said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well yeah, but… not as your…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"As my boyfriend, Rick?" She said teasingly, and he gulped.

"I… guess?" He said, still unsure and weary to not put his foot in it again. Kate bit her lip, and put her hand on his knee.

"Boyfriend it is. But you don't get to do the boyfriend meet with Papa Beckett today, I'm afraid." She said, and he sighed dramatically.

"Next time. So, how far are we from your dad's?" He asked, pleased that he'd figured it out.

"Only a few minutes." She said, turning her attention back to the road ahead.

XXX

Kate let them both into her father's place, picking up the mail on her way in and setting it on the table in the entryway.

"So, this is it. It's not extravagant or anything but…" Kate trailed off, and Rick beamed.

"It's homely. Your dad's done a great job." Rick said genuinely, and Kate smiled.

"I suppose you want me to show you around?" She asked, smiling when he nodded, before leading him around the house carefully, showing him each room. When she arrived at the small set of stairs, she smiled back at him widely.

"We're going up there?" He asked incredulously.

"Yep. You'll fit. My dad can get up here fine." She said, laughing as she ascended the stairs. When Rick appeared, she smiled as he crawled across to where she was sitting. He sat right next to her with a smile.

"We're in the attic?"

"Yeah. Dad converted it a while ago. You have to crawl a bit, of course, but even you can sit up straight in here without any trouble. And that padded wall is calling our name, I think." Kate said, crawling over and leaning against the wall before patting the spot by her side. When Rick sat next to her, she picked up the large leather-bound book beside her and held it in her lap. "So, this is why I bought you here." She said, opening the cover. Inside sat a picture of a younger Katherine Beckett, no more than 17, with Jim and Johanna smiling proudly by her side.

"You look so much like your mom." He whispered softly, and she nodded.

"I think it used to hurt my dad. Now he appreciates it." She said simply, and his face showed his empathy.

"Alexis looks so much like Meredith sometimes, that it unsettles me. But then she'll talk and I know that she's nothing like her mother." He said, getting the idea of today – she was sharing. He was proud of her. So he would share a little too.

"I'm a lot like my mom. We were both as stubborn as each other. I've got a lot of her mannerisms, her vocabulary…" she trailed off, taking a deep breath. Rick jumped in.

"What kind of mannerisms?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Little things. When I'm annoyed, I furrow my brow, and I definitely got that from her. The lip biting was from her too, I think. I didn't notice it until she was gone." She said softly, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders in comfort. She leant into his embrace as they started flipping through the album together, Kate narrating each photo softly, reverently.

When the album came to its end, having showcased the first 19 years of the Beckett family, Kate had silent tears rolling down her face. Rick gently wiped her cheeks with his thumbs, before pressing a gentle kiss to her temple.

"Thank you, for sharing this with me." He whispered into her ear, and he felt her nod.

"Don't let the tears confuse you – I wanted to share with you. I want you to know her, like I knew her… but sharing with you? Some of it is going to hurt." She said, before adding in a whisper "I think you're worth it though." It was Rick's turn to tear up.

"I'm honoured." He whispered back, pulling her into his lap and cradling her gently, her face pressed into his neck.

They sat there for ages, thinking many things, but they both had the same recurring thought.

This sharing thing, the hurt it caused? It was so worth it.

* * *

><p><strong>Review? x<strong>


	5. Date Night

**AN: Sorry this has taken me so long, but I went and got a job which greatly cut into my writing time. Now as you can see, it's become less of a series of one-shots and more of a full-on story. I can't promise when the next chapter will be out but I'll try and get it happening soon.**

**IBYL  
><strong>**xo**

It had been almost a month since that day up at Kate's father's cabin, and her and Rick had spent plenty of time together – unfortunately, not much of that time was outside the precinct. Back to back cases and one of Karpowski's team getting injured during a takedown meant that Beckett's team were taking up the slack, and many of her supposed days off were spent at the precinct, closing cases and finishing up paperwork.

The one day off they did have, they spent at lunch with Kate's father, who was thrilled that Kate and Rick had finally gotten their act together. Martha and Alexis were equally happy that the detective and the writer had made a move – everyone was getting quiet impatient with them. The family, however, were the only ones that knew. Kate and Rick had made the decision to keep their relationship quiet at the precinct, to make their lives a little easier and to prove to Gates that they could still work together despite their new relationship.

XXX

It was a relatively quiet Sunday at the precinct when Beckett was called into Gates's office. Gates wanted to let her know that Karpowski's team would be whole again officially on Monday, and Gates had just informed Beckett that she'd be getting tomorrow off. Kate thanked her gracefully, trying hard to make sure the utter excitement at finally having a day off didn't show through. Kate took a seat at her desk, and smiled when Rick looked up from his phone.

"What did Gates want?" He asked, and she smiled wider.

"Care to make some plans for us tomorrow?" She said, and he beamed.

"Absolutely." He grinned. "Is Johnson back?" He asked.

"Yeah, he is. Which means you and I are officially off at 4pm today." She said, and he grinned.

"Dinner? Tonight?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Sounds perfect."

"Out or in?" He questioned, and she laughed.

"You know what? Let's go out. We haven't been out in ages." Kate said with a smile, and Rick beamed.

"I'm going to go make plans. I'll be by to pick you up at 7." Rick said, fighting back the urge to kiss her goodbye. Kate recognised this and bit her lip to fight back a smile.

"See you in a few." She murmured, watching him leave before turning back to her paperwork, and praying that the day would pass quickly.

XXX

It was a little before 7, and Kate was sitting in her apartment, waiting for Rick to arrive for their date. Kate had gone for something fairly casual – Rick gave her warning if they were going somewhere super-fancy, and she hadn't had a warning so she figured she was safe. She was dressed in a sweater, skinny jeans, a pair of high heels and one of her many leather jackets, and she was currently sitting on the couch, waiting impatiently for Rick to arrive.

Only a minute later, though it felt like hours, there was a knock on her door and Kate rose from her perch to open the door. She'd barely finished opening the door before Rick gathered her into his arms and kissed her soundly. When they pulled away for air they were both smiling widely.

"Well hello to you too." Kate whispered with a laugh, and Rick kissed her forehead.

"I missed you." He murmured against her skin, and she resisted the urge to point out that she saw him 3 hours ago. She knew what he meant. She kissed him again softly.

"Shall we?" She asked, and he nodded.

"We shall. I made reservations for 7.30, I was thinking we could go for a stroll." He said, and she smiled.

"Sounds good to me. Two seconds." She ran and grabbed her bag, before ushering Rick into the hall and locking her door. As soon as she was finished, Rick took her hand and twined her fingers with his as they left her building for the streets of New York.

XXX

They wandered the streets easily, coming to a halt at a hidden little Greek restaurant. Rick tugged her inside and asked for their table. Kate smiled as she sat down.

"It smells amazing in here." She said. "So, tell me the story – how did you find this place?" She asked teasingly. It was their tradition now – any new restaurant they visited, they shared the story of how they found it. When Kate took Rick to her favourite café, she mentioned that that was where she used to meet Maddie for coffee before she went to the academy. When they went to a fantastic Italian place just a few blocks from Times Square, it was where Alexis had had a dinner party with her friends for her 15th birthday. Every new place had a story, and Kate loved it.

"Honestly, I just stumbled across this place one night. It was a couple of years ago now." He said with a shrug, and Kate eyed him carefully.

"You're not telling me something." She said, and he paled a little.

"Curses to your detective skills." He murmured, and she smirked.

"It's okay if you brought another date here, Rick. Good food is good food." She said with a shrug, and he shook his head.

"No other date. I just…" he paused, opting for honesty. "I found this place one night, after we'd closed a case. Alexis was in California, and Mother was out with Chet. I nearly invited you out but… you had plans." He trailed off. When she arched an eyebrow, he sighed. "With Demming." He said quietly.

"Oh." She said softly. "I'm sorry." She said, taking his hand and toying with it softly. He looked up, the flash of hurt disappearing from his eyes almost as quickly as it arrived.

"It's okay. We both…" He trailed off again, cursing himself. He was a writer after all, but he couldn't seem to complete a sentence at that moment.

"We wasted time, Rick. But we won't be doing that anymore, okay?" She asked, and he smiled.

"Deal." He said, leaning over to press a kiss to her lips chastely. "Now, no more depressing talk. Let's eat until we can't possibly move." He said, and she smiled.

"Sounds wonderful."

XXX

When they finished their dinner, they actually were struggling to walk, which made Kate giggle. They made it about a block before deciding it was too hard and hailing a cab. They slid into the backseat with a pleased sigh.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked, and Rick raised an eyebrow in question at Kate. She smiled, and rattled off Rick's address, making him grin.

"You know the way to my place." He said, clearly pleased, and Kate just raised an eyebrow at him.

"I have been to the loft a few times before, you know." She said, and he smiled, before whispering softly in her ear. "Here's hoping you'll be around much, much more." She smiled and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"That sounds like a good plan to me."

It wasn't long before they'd arrived back at the loft and were deciding what to do with their evening. Rick led them over to the couch and pulled Kate on top of him, making her giggle.

"Alexis out?" She asked, and he nodded.

"As always. At least she's not partying."

"What's on the agenda tonight?"

"Movies. Some horribly soppy chick flick." He pulled a disgusted face, and Kate laughed.

"At least she's having fun. Leave her be."

"Look at you, defending my daughter." He teased good-naturedly, and she smiled, saying nothing else on the subject.

"So what's on the agenda for us?"

"Well, I was thinking a movie too. But nothing sappy." He clarified, and she sighed.

"I'm not watching that damn zombie movie with you again." She said, and he pouted.

"Fine. Pick something you like." He said, and she grinned before jumping up and picking _The Bourne Identity_. He smiled. "Oh I have trained you well." He murmured. She shot him a glare, and he stumbled. "What I mean is, great choice babe, let's watch." She grinned before planting herself on top of Rick, and hitting play as she curled into his chest.

XXX

When the movie finished, Kate stretched from her position, or at least attempted to. Rick's arms weren't budging. She gave him a look, but he tightened his arms.

"If I let you go, you'll start making excuses to leave." He said, and she frowned.

"If I promise not to leave, will you let me stretch my legs?" She asked, and he nodded. "Okay, I promise." She said, and he loosened his arms. She got up and stretched, before settling back down on Rick's lap. She yawned widely.

"Nearly bedtime?" He asked, and she nodded.

"I think so. Long day. Plus, we have tomorrow off." She said, and he smiled, before placing a kiss to her temple reverently.

"Hey, Kate?" He said, and she hummed her acknowledgement. "Will you stay with me?"

"I thought we already established that I would."

"I mean, in my room? No funny business, I swear. I just… I like holding you. And I'd like to wake up with you." He said, flushing slightly at the admission. Kate pondered for a moment, chewing her lip pensively.

"Okay, Rick. Lead the way." She said softly, standing up and holding out her hand to him, steadfastly ignoring the nerves fluttering through her system. Cuddles were good. Cuddles were commonplace between them now – relocating those cuddles to a bed wasn't an issue. It was a natural progression.

XXX

Kate Beckett woke the next morning incredibly content, and it didn't take long before she figured out why. She was in Rick's arms, listening to his strong heartbeat. She was in Rick's room, in his bed, wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of his boxers, after a perfect's night sleep – one of the best she'd had in a very long time. She smiled.

It was nice, waking up in Rick Castle's arms.

She could get used to it.

* * *

><p><strong>Leave me a review before you go? x<strong>


	6. Sick Day, Take 2

**So, I am trying REALLY hard not to move my two favourite people forward too fast, but I'm struggling and everything's coming out a little more serious than I intended originally. But, I'm posting this anyway because I had the most amazing response to last chapter and I wanted to give you guys something else.**

**I've taken a couple of liberties with this chapter, I'm sure you'll pick them out. Just remember, it's my story so I can do what I like :P Also, please remember that this is set in Season 4. There are secrets, but they haven't been outed yet because quite frankly, I don't know what to do with the damn things. It can either go down well or go down badly - there's not a whole lot of middle ground. So just assume that neither one has shared their secret for now, and I will address it eventually.**

**IBYL  
>xo<strong>

Kate woke up feeling stifled. She sat up in her bed, mildly disoriented, and immediately fell back to the pillow. Her head was throbbing, her whole body was achy. She sighed loudly, which brought on a massive coughing fit and just confirmed her suspicions.

She was absolutely going to kill Esposito for coming into work while he had a cold and infecting the whole damn precinct.

XXX

Beckett put in a quick call to Gates who told her to give her updates on her condition, let her know when she'd be back at work. She sent Lanie a quick text, cancelling their lunch date today, and she sent an abusive one to a now fully-recovered Esposito, who would hopefully feel bad for giving her this. Her final text went to Castle, to let him know she'd caught Espo's bug and that she wouldn't be at the precinct for a couple of days. The basic actions completely exhausted her and the only thing she had energy left to do was guzzle some water and curl back up under her quilt and hope she could sleep this thing off.

XXX

When Kate next awoke, the sun was significantly higher in the sky than when she'd nodded off. There was also now a man purchased on the lounge chair in the corner of the room, someone that definitely wasn't there when she first woke up this morning.

"Rick?" She croaked, her voice husky with the illness.

"Hey, baby." He murmured softly, getting up and walking towards her.

"You shouldn't be here, I'm contagious." She whispered, and he shook his head.

"I don't care. You looked after me when I was sick, and I'm here to return the favour. If I was going to catch it, I would have already." He said, and she conceded his point. "Water?" He asked, and she nodded gratefully. He passed her the cold bottle and ran a hand over her forehead quickly. "I'm going to grab you some medicine real quick, okay?" He said, and she just nodded once more as he left the room. When he returned, she choked down the tablets with a grimace before her eyes came to rest on Rick again. She patted the space in the bed beside her.

"Come sit with me." She said, and he smiled, shedding his shoes and jacket before climbing into bed next to her and wrapping his arm around her gently.

She was back asleep before her head even connected with his shoulder. Rick just smiled to himself – even though he hated that she was sick, it was nice to be able to look after her. He snuggled down further into the bed, making sure Kate was comfortable. It wasn't long before he'd fallen asleep too.

XXX

Kate stirred gently just a few moments after Rick had woken up again. He smiled as she blinked sleepily. Since their first date night, they'd had a couple of sleepovers, but this impromptu nap was the first one for a couple of weeks. Rick loved cuddling Kate – something which surprised him. His wasn't usually a cuddle kind of guy, but with Kate, it was different. Everything was different.

He loved it.

Kate smiled a little when her eyes fluttered open and came to rest on Rick.

"Hey." She whispered, and he pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"A bit better, actually. Hungry." She said, and he smiled.

"Great. I know just the thing. Will you be okay if I run out for 15 minutes?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks, Rick." She said softly, and he kissed her quick.

"Back in a sec!"

XXX

Rick didn't take very long at all to arrive back with food. When she saw the containers he was holding, she grinned widely.

"Is that soup?" She asked, and he nodded.

"There's no better cure for a cold." He said, passing her the bowl and a spoon. She opened the container and dug in with a smile. He laughed at her eagerness and did the same.

She polished off the bowl quickly, as did he. He cleaned up the little mess they'd made, before coming back to her bedroom.

"So how can I entertain the patient this afternoon, Miss Beckett?" He asked, and she smiled sheepishly.

"Can you… read to me?" She asked, and he smiled.

"Sure! Pick a book." He said, and she blushed. "Ooh, intrigue. Why the blush?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Would you pick one of yours to read? I like hearing you read your own stories." She said, and he nodded, getting up and heading to her bookshelf, pulling off her beaten copy of _In A Hail Of Bullets._

"Why don't we go back to the start?" He said, holding up the book as he snuggled back into her bed, her head resting on his chest. He flicked the book open, stopping briefly at the dedication page in surprise. "I signed this?" He asked, and she paused. She'd forgotten about that.

"Um, yeah." She said.

"When?" He asked, and she sighed.

"I was fresh out of the academy. I'd been a uniform for just a couple of weeks. And I dragged Will to one of your readings, much to his hatred. When I said my name was Kate, you asked me what I did. When I told you I was a cop, you smiled and thanked me for keeping the streets safe, and signed my book. I left, and had to listen to Will whining all day."

"Why was he whining?" He asked, and Kate chuckled.

"You were flirty. Will was a lot of things, and jealous was one of them."

"Well at least I flirted. I wish I remembered this." He said, his fingers tracing over his signature.

"It would be creepy if you did, Rick. Now shush about the signature, and read to me." She whispered, and he kissed her quickly.

"Okay. Chapter One…"

XXX

Rick read for the rest of the afternoon, only pausing when Kate needed water or when she had a quick nap. She hadn't napped much though – she seemed completely enthralled in his reading. And if he was honest, he absolutely loved that. Her intelligence, yes, but on a mildly more selfish level, her clear and present appreciation of his stories, his writing, the very thing that made up a great portion of everything he was.

When he paused for dramatic effect, just a few pages from the end of the story, Kate hit him gently.

"You don't need to pause, I know what happens next!" She said, and he could hear the edge of excitement in her tone.

"Hey, I like the pause. I'm a storyteller, it's what I do." He said, pressing a gentle kiss to the hand he'd captured, the one that had lightly slapped him only moments earlier. He gave in though, and continued to read as the hero made his final daring stand and put the killer behind bars. When he finished and closed the book, Kate smiled.

"That right there, is why I'm a fan." She said, and he beamed at her actual admittance.

"Which bit?" He asked, and she laughed.

"Not to feed your ego or anything, but even though I love everything you write, I really love the endings. There's justice. You solve things, Rick." She said, before whispering. "You gave me faith, faith that I would get justice too."

"You know, Kate, I've had a lot of compliments over the years but I think that one has just become my new favourite." Rick said with a grin. Kate chuckled into his chest.

"What's with all the heavy talk, Rick. I'm no good at it." She said tiredly, and he smiled.

"You've been amazing, you know. I know how hard this is for you, but the fact that you're trying means more to me than I could ever describe." He said, and she looked up at him, eyes wide. She stared at him in stunned silence for a while before she settled back down into his chest.

Sometimes, words just weren't necessary.

Soon, they would be. But for now, silence was golden.

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><p><strong>Your reviews made me smile a billion times earlier this week... care to make it two billion? ;)<strong>


	7. Winter Day

**AN: Look at me, back again! I know you're all shocked, but I've been on a roll! Don't expect such quick updates for long, though. My writing comes in waves.**

**Now I've really messed with the timeline for this story, so at this point we'll say our lovely couple have been together for just under 4 months, and that it's February at this point in time. That's because this chapter is set in a winter wonderland! (Yeah, it's a common theme with my stories, the winter thing. And that's because I'm from Australia and I've never had the pleasure of seeing real snow. So I write about it.)**

**Enjoy!**

**IBYL  
>xo<strong>

* * *

><p>After her brief sickness interlude, it was once again a while before Beckett had another day off. Being a homicide detective wasn't actually a nine to five kind of life, and rostered days off were few and far between, especially if they happened to catch a high-profile case. Beckett and her team had earned the respect of the chief of detectives, as well as the Police Commissioner. It was a great honour, of course – but that honour meant that no matter the days off planned, if a high profile murder happened in their district, it was Beckett's team that took it.<p>

That is what happened to her last two rostered days off – the first case was an officer down, though it turned out to be his mildly psychotic wife. The second case was much harder to crack, when an intern from the DA's office was found poisoned. Everyone who'd ever even seen the young woman was questioned, which took a lot of effort by her team. It turned out to be a jilted lover, but both cases still took time that Kate willingly gave up.

Today, however, she wasn't going to the precinct. She didn't care who died, she wasn't going in, because Rick had called to let her know that they had plans, and she wasn't missing out on another chance to spend time with her boyfriend. She had just over an hour before he was due at her place, so she got out of bed and began her daily routine. First things first: coffee.

XXX

Rick's only instructions when he told her he'd be there at 10 were to 'rug up', so rug up she did, decking herself out in her favourite winter ensemble, complete with a printed trench coat, a scarf and gloves. She'd left her hair down today, and left it curly because she knew Rick liked to play with it. She checked herself over in the mirror quickly just as a sharp knock sounded at her door. She smiled, pulling open the door.

"Hi." She said softly, as Rick gathered her into his arms and kissed her quickly.

"Hey." He murmured back. "It's nice that you've got a day off again." He said, kissing her deeper. She smiled happily when they pulled away for air.

"So what's plans?" She asked casually, and he laughed.

"Nope, it's a surprise. You have a hat, though?" When she nodded, he smiled. "Grab it, and we'll go." She did as asked, and Rick linked her hand with his happily as they left her apartment.

It was a pretty cold February day in the middle of Central Park, but neither Rick nor Kate were bothered by the temperature – they were New Yorkers through and through, and Kate happened to love winter.

"I love the snow." Rick said with a grin, and Kate laughed.

"I was just thinking the same thing." She said.

"So why do you love winter, Kate?" He asked, fishing for information as always.

"Good memories, I guess. It's hard not to love the snow. When I was younger, whenever it snowed at school Maddie and I would always have massive snowball fights. We used to trick the boys into playing against us, they always said yes because they were idiotic and thought they could win, but they never did." She said with a smirk, and Rick laughed.

"I can imagine. I bet their egos were bruised beyond belief."

"What about you, Rick. Why the love of snow?" She asked, eager to learn more.

"Alexis. Making snow angels, tobogganing, building snowmen… we don't do it anymore, but god it was fun when she was a kid." He said sadly, the faraway look that always appeared when he was talking about Alexis growing up in his eyes. Kate bumped his shoulder playfully.

"Chin up, Rick. I'll build a snowman with you." She said, laughing as he beamed.

"Later. We have other plans first." He said, and a few minutes later he stopped dead, Kate crashing into him and making him laugh.

"Your brake lights were out." She grumbled, and he laughed harder.

"We're here!" He said happily, and Kate finally took notice of where they'd stopped.

"We're going skating?" She asked, and he smiled.

"Hey, I said I wanted to see you in action." He grinned, and she laughed.

"It's probably going to be a disaster…" she paused, before beaming. "But okay. Let's go." She said, tugging him towards the skate hire.

"Yes!" He said, as he happily followed.

XXX

It had been two hours, and Rick had spent majority of that time on his ass on the freezing ice, but that didn't faze him in the slightest. So what if he couldn't feel his butt for a week? He's been able to watch Kate glide around the rink easily, laughing every time he collapsed and even trying a few tricks. She skated up to him with a laugh, holding out her hands.

"Up you get, mister." She said, pulling him up.

"My saviour." He said with a smile.

"Don't you forget it." She said teasingly, but she hadn't removed her hands from his. She started skating backwards slowly, pulling him along with her. "No wonder you keep falling over, you keep leaning back too far." She scolded gently. "Put your weight forward a little more."

"Are you insinuating I have weight?" He said dramatically, losing his balance and shaking in the process. Kate barked out a laugh.

"Yeah, Rick, I am." She teased, pulling him a bit faster and making him clutch her hands tighter in the momentary panic.

"Okay, slow down, I'll be good!" He whispered quickly and she laughed, dropping one of his hands and floating to his side so that she could skate side by side with him for a while.

"When I said this was going to be a disaster, I thought I meant for me… apparently not." She teased again, and he grimaced.  
>"Yeah, I never was much of a skater. It's been a while." He said.<p>

"For me too." She said softly, and he squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you brought me, though." She said sincerely, and he beamed. Their momentary silence was interrupted by Rick's stomach grumbling loudly.

"What do you say, lunch time?" He asked, and she smiled.

"Sounds great. Where are we going?" She asked.

"Uh uh uh, that's a surprise too." He said, spinning around clumsily to place a kiss on the end of her very pink nose. Kate eyed him warily but laughed all the same.

"Fine, whisk me away." She said with a grin, and they left the ice.

XXX

They walked back to the car, but when Kate moved to get in the car, Rick pulled her back.

"Nope." He said simply, opening the trunk and pulling out a picnic basket.

"Really?" She asked, surprised and pleased at the same time.

"Yep." He said simply, pulling her back toward the park.

They kept walking until Rick found a tree that he deemed 'fit for a picnic location', and a few minutes later he declared he'd found the perfect spot. It was near a playground, Kate noticed, smiling as Rick's inner child came out to play while watching a few of the little ones having fun. Rick laid out the blanket with a smile, before pulling Kate down to sit next to him and bringing out a huge selection of food. Kate smiled gratefully as they started eating.

When they'd finished, Castle pulled Kate into his lap and pulled another blanket around them. Kate cuddled into his embrace with a grin, as he turned them towards the playground more, watching the kids bounce around with glee.

The silence was nice for a while, but soon Kate found herself asking the question that had been in the back of her mind since they'd sat down to lunch.

"Do you want more?" She asked, and he looked at her, puzzled. She nodded towards the playground.

"Kids?" He affirmed, and she nodded. "I guess it's always been in the back of my mind. Alexis used to beg me for a little brother or sister, but Meredith wasn't mother material and our relationship was a mess, and Gina… her career was her baby. If I could be sure that I wasn't doing it alone this time, I'd absolutely have more." He said, not including that really, he'd only ever consider having children again if it were with her. "How about you?" He asked, again genuinely curious.

"I used to say no when anyone asked. I'm a homicide detective with a horrible relationship record – it was never really in the cards for me. And…" she trailed off. Rick comforted her softly, drawing patterns on her back as she sighed. "There's every chance I'm not going to come home one day." She said simply, and Rick knew exactly what she was referring to. He pressed a kiss to her cheek with an encouraging smile. "I'd love to be a mom, but only if it were with the right person." She said softly.

"I think you'd be a fantastic mom." He said simply, and she smiled.

"Well I'm already well aware that you're a great father. Maybe even the best." She said, snuggling back into his embrace.

They were so caught up in their conversation that neither of the happy couple noticed the flash of a camera bulb pointed in their direction.

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><p><strong>Don't hate me for the cliffhanger! Next chapter honestly shouldn't be too long, it's already half done :) And a little suspense is good for the soul!<strong>


	8. Outed Day

**Sorry about the delay! I've just started Uni again for the year, and I've also managed to catch a cold in the middle of summer (because I'm skilled like that) and so, this chapter had to come a little late. Kudos to everyone who correctly guessed where I'd be taking this story! Page Six awaits...**

**IBYL  
><strong>**xo**

* * *

><p>Richard Castle woke the day after his latest date with Kate with a big smile on his face. Though he was a tiny bit concerned about taking her ice-skating for their day out, the laughter in her eyes right from when they first stepped onto the ice allayed his fears immediately. It was a great day. Actually, aside from time spent with Alexis when she was a tyke, it was probably the most fun he's ever had on a cold winter's day. He smiled as he rolled out of bed. Time to head into the precinct and greet his girlfriend with her usual coffee.<p>

XXX

Rick was just about to walk out the door and aim to beat his lovely Detective to the precinct when the newspaper caught his eye. He almost walked right past it but paused when he noticed one of the taglines at the top:

_Page 6 Exclusive – which famous author has finally made a public appearance of a more romantic variety?_

Rick's stomach turned as he picked up the paper and flicked to the article. He then felt it drop when he saw the half-page colour picture in front of him of himself and Kate cuddled up in Central Park. She looked adorable, of course, but he cringed nonetheless. This wasn't good. Then he looked at the headline and actually moaned. This really wasn't good. He grabbed his keys and dashed for his car. He needed to head off Kate at her place, now.

XXX

Kate was just finishing getting ready for work when she heard a knock at the door. Surprised, she looked through the peephole to find a very nervous looking Rick.

"Forget how to sleep?" She asked as she pulled the door open.

"Uh, no. Just wanted to beat you to the precinct." He said distractedly, and she chuckled nervously.

"Which you could have done, had you not shown up at my apartment." He just nodded, and she pulled him inside. "Talk to me, Rick. What's wrong?" She asked, now as nervous as he appeared.

"I don't suppose you've seen a newspaper this morning?" He asked, and she shook her head. Rick lifted his hand which held the offending article with a sigh. "You're going to need to read this." He said sadly, before pulling her with him to sit on the couch.

_Famous author Richard Castle and his NYPD Detective muse, Kate Beckett,"Heat"-ing up a cold winter's day in Central Park_

_The now infamous pairing of writer and detective appear to have taken the next step in what many members of the press have dubbed the best 'will they or won't they?' relationship in the New York social scene. The pair were seen having a romantic picnic together, snuggling as they watched some children in a nearby playground play in the snow. Maybe there's even more to this relationship than currently meets the eye? Only time will tell._

Kate sat in silence, staring at the photo. Rick gave her a minute, waiting for her to speak. When she didn't he prompted her, taking her hand.

"Kate? Talk to me." He said simply, and she squeezed his hand.

"I feel… violated." She said with a shrug. "And pissed off that us on a picnic is top news. And upset that I won't get to tell the boys and Lanie myself. And just… a myriad of things. I feel a myriad of things." She finished, and Rick pulled her into a hug.

"I'll do whatever I can to fix this, I'll set Paula onto them. But unfortunately, there's not a lot we can do in regards to today." He said softly, watching her downcast expression. "Oh, Kate. I'm so sorry. I never wanted you to have to deal with this. Especially not like this. I'm going to kill that freaking photographer."

"Probably not the best statement to make with me around, Rick." She said softly. "But I know what you mean."

"I should've thought." He said sadly.

"What, just assumed that some madman with a camera was going to hang in a tree on a freezing winter's day to get a picture of us together? This isn't your fault, Rick." She said. "I'm upset, but not at you. At the paper for publishing this and at the general public for caring what the hell I do with my life. Not you." She leant into his embrace. "Will you still come with me to the precinct? I don't really know if I can face this without you."

"Of course I'll come with you." He said, standing up. "Quicker we get there, quicker we can get this out of the way. I'll yell at Paula in the car."

XXX

And yell he did. Kate was sitting there, and was surprised at how frustrating it was to only hear one half of a conversation. More surprising was exactly what Rick was saying.  
>"Yes, Paula, I am actually calling you for once. I'm guessing you know why? Yeah, that's right. I don't care if it's good publicity, Paula. You know the rules. Alexis stays out of the papers, and Kate stays out of the papers. Yes, even if I am dating her, she's still off-limits! Putting her in the papers is putting her job, her life at risk. You know that, Paula, and now you have to fix it." He hung up the phone.<p>

"You made rules?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah. Alexis has always been off-limits. And after Scott Dunn, I made sure the press were aware that you were off-limits too." He said quietly. She slipped her hand from the wheel and into his.

"Thank you, Rick." She said softly. "It means the world."

They arrived at the precinct, and Rick left it up to Kate to decide how they addressed this – after all, this was her workplace, her career… he knew not to mess with it. So he was pleasantly surprised when she took his hand and linked her fingers with his. When Rick raised an eyebrow, she just smiled.

"I need you." She said simply, and he beamed in response.

When the elevator doors opened, however, Kate lost her nerve and dropped his hand, but stayed close by his side. She'd barely had a chance to put her bag down when Gates' voice boomed through the bullpen.

"Detective Beckett, Mr Castle, in here now." She said loudly, and Kate sighed.

"Let's go." She grimaced, and Rick couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking to his doom. There was just something about Gates.

Gates was waiting at her desk, newspaper open in front of her.

"Care to tell me what this is? Or more accurately, how long it's been going for?" She asked, and Kate felt like she was being scolded by a school teacher.

"Rick and I are together, sir. It's been almost four months." Kate said, and Gates tough expression faltered. Kate assumed it was because they'd kept it away from everyone from so long.

"Keep it out of my precinct." She said simply, and Kate and Rick both nodded.

"Yes, sir." Kate said, before ushering Rick out of the office, not wanting to give Gates a chance to say anything else.

"That was better than I expected." Rick said with a smile.

"Let's keep it that way. Nothing untoward in the precinct and we should be safe. There's really not much she can do, as you're not officially a cop. But don't think she won't be trying to find a reason to kick you out."

"Stay focused, got it." Rick said simply. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Kate said with a smile, before heading to her desk to begin the day.

XXX

They worked in silence for a while, Kate doing some of the seemingly never-ending pile of outstanding paperwork while Rick writes story notes in the journal he keeps in her draw. They studiously ignored all of the people sneaking up to the homicide floor to gawp at them, to check if the papers were correct. In fact, they didn't address the article at all… until two certain team members arrived at the precinct. Ryan and Esposito walked over to Beckett's desk and coughed loudly.

"Morning boys." Kate said simply, and Esposito smiled.

"Something you've got to share with the class, Beckett?" He asked, and she looked up at Rick.

"Me? Not that I know of." She said coyly, and Rick bit back a laugh.

"How about you, Castle?"

"I made it to the next world in Angry Birds." He said, and it was Kate's turn to stifle a giggle. Esposito huffed.

"So you haven't seen the paper?" Ryan cried out, and Kate laughed.

"Ohh, THAT's what you were asking about? Yes, I've seen the paper." Kate said.

"Is it right?" Ryan prompted, and Kate glanced at Rick before nodding.

"Yeah, it's right."

"How long?" Esposito asked.

"Lanie won the pool." Kate said with a wry smile, and Esposito's jaw dropped.

"She had November!" Esposito exclaimed, before catching himself. "Wait, how did you know who had what? How did you even know it was still going?" He asked, and Kate rolled her eyes.

"Espo? Detective." She said simply, pointing to herself, and he scowled.

"Four bloody months." He murmured as he walked away to his desk, sulking.

"Congratulations, guys. We should double date." Ryan said with a grin, and Kate laughed.

"We'll see." Kate said with a friendly grin, as Ryan wandered away to begin his day. Again, they lapsed into silence before Esposito spoke up.

"You've been summoned to the morgue, Beckett." He said with a smirk, and she shot him a death glare.

"When I get back, Esposito, you're in all kinds of trouble." She said, nodding to Rick to stay there while she headed to the morgue.

XXX

"Hey, Lanie." Kate said sheepishly.

"Don't you even think about 'Hey Lanie'-ing me, girl. Where were my details, huh?" Lanie huffed.

"We didn't want to share, Lanie. Only my dad, Martha and Alexis knew, and that was shared out of sheer necessity."

"I'm your best friend."

"And as my best friend, you know how important this is to me, how badly I wanted this to happen and happen right. I'm not going to apologise for that." Kate said simply, and Lanie stared her down for a while.

"Fine. It's a valid point. Don't even think about keeping details from me now." Lanie said with a raised eyebrow, and Kate shook her head.

"There aren't any of those details to share." Kate said, and Lanie choked.

"Why not?" Lanie asked, outraged.

"Because, Lanie, our entire relationship has been built on the days off I have here and there. There hasn't been time, and I haven't been ready."

"One day, you and Writer Boy and all this tension is actually going to kill me." Lanie said dramatically, and Kate laughed.

"You and me both, Lane. As soon as there's more to know, I'll let you know. In the meantime, enjoy your winnings."

"You got it, girl." Lanie said with a wave, as Kate exited the morgue.

XXX

A quick lunch and another couple of hours later, Kate and Rick were preparing to leave work. Kate picked up her bag and linked her hand with Rick's as they said goodnight and left the precinct. When they got outside, Kate folded herself into his embrace.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Kate said, and Rick coughed.

"Speak for yourself. You didn't get threatened by two members of the NYPD."

"They're my boys, what did you expect?" Kate said with a chuckle.

"If they're your boys, what am I?" Rick asked, clearly fishing.

"You're my writer-boy." Kate said cutely, pressing a kiss to his lips quickly before stepping out of his embrace and heading for the car. Rick snagged her hand and pulled her back so he could be chivalrous and open her door for her. As she sat, he leant in and gave her a hard kiss.

"One of these days I'm going to prove that it's Writer Man." He said with a smirk, and Kate flushed - she had no doubt he would, and soon.

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><p><strong>Not going to lie, the next chapter could take a while... but will you forgive me and review anyway? :)<strong>


	9. Fundraising Fun

**Oh wow, I'm sorry. Almost a month between chapters. Working two jobs and studying full-time isn't conducive to extra writing time, I'm afraid. But I've finally got a chapter for you guys, and I really hope it's been worth the wait.**

**I'm tempted to mark this story as complete because I'm not sure when I'm going to find the time to write for it - but I haven't quite finished with it yet. So it will remain open, at least for now, but don't expect quick updates because I'm unfortunately lacking in the required superpowers for multi-multi-multitasking.**

**Enjoy, people :)**

**IBYL**  
><strong>xo<strong>

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Although I did give you a long and annoying hiatus, so who knows, I could be ABC after all.**

It had been a few weeks since the Beckett and Castle relationship had been outed, and the general majority of people had been good about it. A few of Castle's fans went a bit crazy on his Facebook and Twitter with the news he was off the market, but they'd anticipated that. Paula had apparently woven her magic because they hadn't been followed by any other reporters or photographers since that first picture came out. Kate appreciated it – despite the minor storm, they were able to continue living, and working, as normal.

One morning, shortly after they'd arrived at the precinct, Rick had left to take a phone call while Kate went about her usual morning routine. When he came back, he was smiling. Kate noticed immediately.

"Not a yelling Gina phone call, I imagine?" She asked coyly, and he shook his head.

"No, actually, it was Paula, and she had a good idea." He said, surprise tingeing his voice.

"Oh really? And what is that?" Kate said, curiosity taking over.

"The Author's Guild are having a fundraising night this Saturday, for Patterson's charity. I was invited months ago, and never got back to them. But I was thinking, since you have Sunday off… maybe we could go? Make a real evening of it. You can get all dressed up and make me lose the ability to breathe normally, we can go dance and play poker and have some fun?" He said, the excitement rolling off him in waves.

"Will there be press?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, but only outside. So we smile pretty for the cameras a few times, but as soon as we're inside the ballroom it's invited guests only." He said. "What do you say?"

"Okay, Rick. Saturday night."

"Thank you!" He beamed widely, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. "I'm going to tell Patterson and make plans."

XXX

Time passed quickly, and before Kate knew it, it was Saturday, and she had a fundraiser to get ready for. She'd been on call up until midday, but thankfully no bodies had dropped, leaving her in peace for the day. She began to get ready, taking the time to pamper herself for a change.

Kate smiled to herself in the mirror, pleased with the outcome of her pampering. She looked fresh and happy. She'd taken a little extra time to curl her hair and pull it back into a chic up-do. She'd also played with her make-up a little, darkening her eyes with a smoky look to draw attention to them – but doing little else, as she was hoping her dress would say it all. The purple high neck halter dress had silver detailing at the neck and waist, and clung to her curves perfectly. There was a long slit up the left leg which she knew Rick would love, but more importantly, the dress was backless – and that was certain to thrill Rick. He loved putting his hand at the small of her back, and he was definitely going to enjoy it tonight – and she was betting she would too.

At promptly 6pm, there was a knock at the door. Kate smiled, opening the door with a grin to a very dapper looking Rick, all dressed up in a tuxedo.

"Hi, Rick." She said, and smiled wider when he leant against the doorframe.

"You look incredible." He said simply, eyes sparkling, and she kissed his cheek quickly.

"Thanks. Come in for a second? I just need to grab my bag." She said, turning away from the door. She turned back quickly when she heard Rick wheeze. "You okay?"

"I was doing really well until I saw the back of that." He said, gesturing to her dress. "God, Kate. You're actually going to kill me. You know that, right?"

"I had an inkling." She said with a wink, picking up the sparkly silver clutch that matched the high strappy shoes she was wearing and turned back to Rick. "You ready?"

"Absolutely. " He said. He put his hand at the small of Kate's back, leading her out. "Let's go have some fun." He whispered with a grin, as they headed for the elevator.

XXX

They arrived at The Plaza in record time, and Rick jumped out of the car quickly in order to be chivalrous and open the door for her. He smiled and held her hand, helping her out of the car with a smile. They wandered towards the entrance where the first few photographers were waiting, and Kate grimaced a little. Rick pulled her close to his side and whispered to her softly.

"We give them five minutes. Smile pretty, and then we'll be inside free and clear."

"Let's do this." She said, wrapping her arm around his waist and posing with a smile. Rick was telling jokes and generally being goofy, and by the end of the line of photographers, the smile wasn't even forced. Just as they went to enter the hotel, Kate turned and pressed her lips against his quickly.

"Thank you." She said softly, and he smiled.

"You're welcome." He said in reply, kissing her once again before they walked inside.

Rick went straight to the bar and ordered them two glasses of champagne. He handed one to Kate and she smiled as he greeted people on the way to their table. He caught her staring and grinned.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, and she smiled.  
>"You're so good at this." She said with a shrug.<p>

"At what?"

"The public stuff. You smile nice, you make small talk, you remember people's names. I decide if they'd ever be included in my suspects list." She admits sadly, and he laughed.

"You said it yourself, everyone looks like a killer to you." He said simply, but she still looked a little sad. "Why do you seem upset?" He asked, and she shrugged again.

"I'm not. It's just, seeing a different side to you, I guess? I've seen you charming and everything, but your different with your fans and your colleagues. I see the change in the way you act. It's not quite as forced."

"It's more forced than when I'm with you." He said honestly, and she smiled a little.

"I think I've noticed that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be… like this, tonight. I don't know why I am. I've just been observing, I guess." She paused. "I like learning about you." She murmured, and he beamed.

"Katherine Beckett, I will never learn everything I want to about you, but I'd happily spend forever trying to." He said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly. Kate smiled against his lips when she heard a cough from next to them.

"Do you really have to make out with your woman at my fundraiser?" Patterson asked teasingly, and Rick grinned.

"Yeah, I have to." He said simply, shaking his friend's hand. "Looks like a good turnout." He said simply, and Patterson nodded.

"I hope so. Any money is good money."

"It's a great program." Kate chimed in, and James smiled.

"Nice of you to say. And especially nice to see you again, Detective Beckett. You look stunning. And we hear you're keeping our Ricky on his toes on a whole other level these days." He said with a wink, and Kate fought back a blush.

"It's Kate. And yeah, something like that." She said with a sly look at Rick, who was positively beaming.

"Well – Kate, Rick, I hate to leave but I have to go work the room. Have fun tonight." Patterson said, shaking both their hands and leaving them be. Kate smiled.

"I like him."

"He's a good guy. One of the best." Rick said simply. "I owe him a lot – he's helped me through a lot of my writing troubles."

"And I'm sure you'd do the same for him." Kate said with a smile, and he nodded.

"Except the damned man never has any writing troubles. Do you know how many books he publishes in a year?" He asked indignantly, and Kate laughed.

"Yeah, I read them all." She said, and laughed more when Castle looked affronted. "Hey, just because I read his books, doesn't make him my favourite author." She said with a happy lilt in her voice, and he grinned.

"Always good to know. Now, I think you and I should go work the room. What do you say?" He said, holding out his arm to her. She looped her own around his, and that was answer enough.

XXX

Kate was rather enjoying watching Rick 'work the room' as he put it. He was fantastically charming to everyone, both old friends and new acquaintances. Her favourite bit though, which she wasn't ashamed to admit, was how insanely proud he was to be here with her. Happily introducing everyone with a "this is my girlfriend, Kate Beckett", and the smile on his face? It totally blew her away. When they finished talking to one of Rick's publishers, Kate smiled and pulled him towards the dance floor before anyone else could engage him in conversation. A slow song had just started, and Rick smiled, pulling Kate into his embrace and swaying her softly.

"Hi." She whispered softly.

"Hi. Have I mentioned lately how insanely beautiful you look?"

"If that counts, yes." She said with a smile.

"Well you do. Seriously, you're the most beautiful woman in the room."

"You are a tiny bit biased, you know." She said, moving her arms to his neck as his slid to her waist and they continued their dance.

"Yes. But you're still beautiful." He said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. "Exquisite. Stunning." He said again, and Kate blushed, tickling the back of his neck with her fingertips softly.

"You're not so bad yourself, charmer." She said softly, and they continued dancing. Rick pulled her closer so there was barely an inch between them.

"You're not totally bored out of your mind, are you?"

"No. I'm having fun. You know a lot of interesting people, Rick." She said, still whispering purely because of how close together they were.

"So, you think you could come to more things like this?" He asked genuinely, and she paused, tilting her head. She pondered her answer, wondering how much of herself she should reveal – but decided to say the first thing that had come into her head.

"For you I would."

His responding kiss was probably borderline indecent, given the public situation they were in.

As he pulled away to catch his breath, Kate let out a sly smile. She was definitely looking forward to seeing where the night would take them.

XXX

A few hours and a very active auction later, Kate and Rick bid their farewells to the collection of people they'd spent the night with and Rick took Kate's hand, leading her to the exit.

"Where to?" He asked, and she paused.

"I was hoping that we could go to mine for the night. That you could stay?" She asked, suddenly nervous, but he didn't notice. Or if he did, he didn't let it show.

"I'd love to. Alexis is home with Mother, anyway. They're having a girl's night, apparently." He said, clearly confused by the idea.

"I think it's sweet." Kate said firmly. "Plus, it's nice to know that I'm not stealing you away from your time with Alexis." She said, and he smiled at her consideration.

"There's plenty of me to share between the two of you." He said with a smile, as he opened her car door for her and they headed for her place.

XXX

They arrived at Kate's building and Rick hesitated for a second. It was only a second, but the ever-aware Kate noticed.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, it's just… would it be alright if I brought up a change of clothes? I keep a bag of spares in the car and I…" he trailed off. Kate almost laughed – such a simple question and he was a ball of nerves. They were such a pair!

"What, you think I'm going to make you sit around in your tux all night?" She teased lightly. "Bring them up." She said, pulling herself out of the car before he got a chance to help her.

They arrived up at the apartment and split up – Rick stole her study in order to change in private, while Kate went to her bedroom. Although she'd loved the opportunity to dress up, comfort was key to her. She hung her dress up carefully before picking a pair of black yoga pants and a tight purple tank top – her usual sleeping attire, and heading to the bathroom.

As she dressed she stared in the mirror, contemplating her makeup. Usually, if she was dating someone, she'd leave it on – even touch it up a little. But with Rick… well, quite frankly, the man had seen her naked and shot. He wasn't going to think anything different of her without her makeup on. She washed her face quickly, and pulled her hair back into a messy high bun perched on the top of her head. She took a deep breath before heading out to the lounge, where Rick was waiting with two glasses of wine.

"Hey." He murmured, and she settled beside him.

"Sorry I took a while."

"You were quick compared to Mother and Alexis." He said with a gentle grin, and she chuckled.

"Yeah well you should've seen me today. I took hours. Primping like a girl on her way to prom." She said, shaking her head. "The things you do to me." She teased, watching as his grin lit up his face.

"I had to be told to stop pacing, at one point. Alexis said I was annoying." He said, and she laughed.

"We're teenagers." She said, and he nodded, before pulling her into his lap and into a passionate kiss.

"I'm totally okay with that." He said when they broke for air. She laughed breathlessly. It only took her a second to realise she had ended up straddling him, and she smiled, settling on his knees and kissing him again.

"Hi." She murmured against his lips, and he chuckled.

"Hi." He whispered back.

"I like this." She said with a grin, and he pulled her close.

"I don't think I can begin to describe how much I love this." He said, his forehead pressed against hers. She said nothing, choosing instead to kiss him soundly to convey her feelings. The next time Rick pulled away he was breathing heavily.

"Kate, what happened to slow?"

"It's been months, Rick. And I'm… I'm doing better than I ever thought I would be. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying and" she took a deep breath. "I really want all of this. I want all of you." She said, and he stared into her eyes. Satisfied that there wasn't any fear lingering in there, he smiled.

"You've got me, Kate." He said simply, before standing up and pulling her into his arms, and carrying her to her bedroom.

**Leave a review to cheer me up as I slave over my essays?**


	10. Changing Day

**AN: HI. Remember me? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to update, but it's been a crazy few weeks. I've been studying madly at uni, working two jobs, and I also COMPLETELY lost my mind when I met the one and only Jewel Staite at Adelaide, Australia's first Comic-Con! (Most exciting moment of my whole life. I said nothing intelligent, and she gave me a hug and I nearly cried. And I also have the nicest photo ever with her.)**

**But anyway, here is the next (and last) chapter of this little story. I'm sad to see it come to an end but life is far too insane at the moment for me to dedicate tonnes of time to this. And not gonna lie, the writing mojo has faded massively with all these angsty Castle episodes :(**

**So thank you all for reading, and I will catch you all on the flip side!**

**IBYL  
><strong>**xo**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, the past two episodes would not have happened.  
><strong>

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><p>Kate stormed up to the nurse's station, panic etched into her face.<p>

"I'm looking for Richard Castle." She said, the quiver in her voice betraying her calm exterior.

"Sorry, no visit-" the nurse started, and Kate flashed her badge. Probably a misuse of power, but at that point she couldn't have cared less. "Down the hall, third door on the right." She said, and Kate nodded, before walking up the corridor, ignoring the shake in her hands. She pushed open the door quietly and breathed a small sigh of relief when she saw Rick sitting up in bed.

"Hey." He whispered as she walked over and sat next to him.

"Hey." She croaks out, looking down at him. She's sure he can read the panic in her eyes, which is why she wasn't surprised when he held out his hand to her, encouraging her to perch on his bed.

"I'm okay, Kate. You're looking at me right now. I'm fine." He said. "I'm totally fine."

The tears she'd been so carefully holding in slipped down her cheeks.

"I… I put you in a taxi, Rick. You were going to Black Pawn for a meeting. And then I get a phone call saying we've just admitted someone by the name of Richard Castle, and you're his emergency contact." She murmured, and he pulled her closer.

"The taxi crashed. Happens somewhere in New York every single day. And I'm fine. There's not even any broken bones, Kate. Just a few little bruised ribs – you've had those thousands of times before. The hospital thing was precautionary." He said.

"You scared me." She whispered, so quiet he almost missed it.

"Kate." He said, scowling as he shifted to sit up in the bed. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, I'm just… you asked me to tell you what I'm feeling. And I felt scared." She said with a shrug. "And I still am, because things like this, no matter how common they might be, still rattle me."

"Of course they do." He soothed, and she toyed with his fingers gently, something that had become a bit of a habit in their six months together.

"I had to use my badge to get in." She said off-handedly, and she actually cracked a smile when his eyes widened with glee.

"That's so cool!" He said, childlike, and she chuckled.

"And it stays between you and me. Gates would kill me, and the boys would have a field day."

"How did you get away from work?" He asked, and she shrugged.

"I just left. Auto-pilot, I guess. The boys are probably covering for me, I should check in with them, organise a couple of days off." She said.

"Days off?"

"If you think I'm leaving you alone while you're injured, you've got another thing coming."

"But…"

"Don't even think about arguing with me on this. I know Alexis isn't back from California until Tuesday, and I know Martha is barely home at the moment, so it's settled."

"Okay. Ring Gates and organise it. The doctor should be here to organise my discharge any minute." He said, and she nodded, kissing him once very softly.

"You are never to scare me like that again, Richard Castle. Got it?" She said, using her best detective voice.

"Got it." He gulped, as he watched her walk from the room.

XXX

Rick was on his phone when Kate returned. She waited patiently as he finished his conversation.

"Pumpkin, I'm okay. If you don't believe me, you can talk to Kate. Yep, she's just walked back in. No, don't come home. Kate's going to stay with me, and you need the time with your mom." Kate watched as his eyes flicked to her softly, a small smile gracing his face as he listened to his conversation. "I know, kiddo. I'll see you at the airport." He paused. "Love you too." He said, before hanging up his phone.

"She believe you?" Kate asked, and Rick smiled.

"Nope. Expect a phone call later, I'm sure." He said, and Kate chuckled.

"Come on, let's get you out of here." She said, helping him from the bed and clutching his discharge papers tightly in her hand.

When they arrived back at the loft, Kate sat Rick down on the couch with a thick blanket and a bottle of water.

"Movie day?" He asked excitedly as he watched her peruse his DVD collection.

"You're out of action for anything else, mister."

"We could play Halo." He grinned, and she shook her head.

"No way. I've seen you play Halo, you jump around all the time – duck and weave like you're actually in the game. Not good when trying to heal bruised ribs, I assure you."

"Point conceded. So what's on?"

"First season of Game of Thrones." She said with a shrug, as she curled herself carefully on the couch next to him.

"Perfect woman." He whispered with a smile as she hit play.

XXX

Rick nodded off after two episodes after finally relenting to Kate's pestering about taking a painkiller. Kate smiled and tucked him under a blanket on the couch, ensuring not to bother his sore right side, before flicking over to the television and indulging in a little brainless celebrity chatter.

He slept solidly for an hour, and Kate smiled as he drifted back into consciousness.

"Hey." He whispered, smiling tiredly at her before taking in his surroundings. "E News, really?" He asked, and she laughed.

"It's mind-numbing. How are you feeling?" She asked, and he shrugged a little, awkwardly shifting himself into a more upright position.

"Still sore. I think the aches and pains in the rest of my body are worse than my ribs at the moment." He said, knowing that she'd be peeved if he tried to mask his pain.

"Hot shower might help." She said, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I was thinking that." He replied, with a twinkle in his eye.

"Don't look at me like that, mister."

"Like what?" He said innocently, and she barked out a laugh.

"Like I'm lunch. It's not happening, not while you're injured. I will come help you in the shower, but no touching." She said authoritatively, and he nodded as he shifted himself off the couch.

"Stupid bloody cab." He murmured, and she couldn't help her giggles.

After their shower, it was mid-afternoon, and Rick was back on the couch, this time with his laptop for company. Kate grabbed her bag.

"I'm going to head back to my place and grab clothes for the next few days, and stop by the store to grab some stuff for dinner. You need anything else?" She asked, waiting for the ridiculous request to come.

"Nope, I'm good. But while we're on the subject." He said, and she paused, turning back to him.

"On the subject?" She asked, confused.

"Bring more than a few days worth of clothes." He said.

"Why?"

"Well, I spoke to Alexis earlier, and we were kind of hoping you'd move in." He said simply, and Kate's jaw dropped.

"Rick. Seriously?"

"Seriously! We love having you here, Kate. This place has never felt more like home to me than when you're around. We'd like you to live with us." He said, and she took a deep breath.

"That's why you were looking at me weird this morning." She said, and he laughed.

"Yeah. Sometimes I forget how sharp you are. But yeah, I cleared it with Alexis again this morning, but we'd discussed it before."

"And Martha?" Kate asked automatically.

"Loved the idea. Not that it's really her concern anymore, she's practically moved out anyway. So, what do you say?" He asked, and Kate smiled shyly.

"I… Can we do this in steps?" She asked. "Not that I don't want to live with you guys, I've just… ever since I left college, I've been by myself. It's going to take some adjustment."

"Of course, Kate. I understand." He said, and she could tell he really did.

"Maybe I'll bring enough clothes for a couple of weeks, and some toiletries and stuff… and then if that goes well, we can organise to move other things." She said, and he nodded.

"Sounds like a good plan. Go get your stuff from your place. I'll see you when you get back." He said with a smile, and she kissed his cheek as she left.

XXX

When Kate returned, she had a suitcase full of clothes and a bag of groceries, which she expertly juggled through the loft door. Rick smiled widely and went to move, but her sharp glare left him immobile. She dropped the groceries on the counter before walking over and kissing him softly. He smiled widely.

"You're home." He said softly, and she grinned.

"Yeah, I'm home." She whispered in response.

If she was honest, she'd never felt more at home in this world than she did right at that very second.

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><p><strong>Open-ended stories FTW! Leave me a review before you go?<strong>


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